The Pittsburgh Steelers have started the business of trimming their roster toward the 53-man limit, waiving 11 players after Thursday night's preseason finale and dropping from 90 to 89 players as the club moves closer to its regular-season roster.
Quarterback decision creates a numbers problem
Pittsburgh's decision to carry four quarterbacks — Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar — is a defining development of final roster week. The club views Drew Allar and Will Howard as sound options for the future and wants Mason Rudolph as the backup this season, a configuration that now forces the front office and coaches to make tougher calls at other positions.
Si described the roster picture as harder to predict than most years, with final cuts expected before the end of the weekend.
Early cuts trim WRs and a running back, raising questions on depth and special teams value
The first wave of moves removed five defensive backs, three receivers, one offensive lineman and one running back. Among those waived were receivers Jakobie Keeney-James, Cornell Powell and Isaiah Winstead and running back Alex Tecza. The receiver releases eliminate three contenders from a competition that remained unsettled near the bottom of the depth chart.
Coaches and personnel executives say the final decisions will hinge on a combination of on-field tape and special-teams value as Mike McCarthy and the front office evaluate the preseason film to determine which players provide the most immediate roster value.
Yardbarker noted that releasing players before the deadline can give those players extra time to attract interest elsewhere, and projected that some waivered players who clear could rejoin the organization on the practice squad if Pittsburgh still sees developmental upside or roster familiarity.
The front office also must monitor cuts around the league; Pittsburgh's initial 53-man group may not be assembled solely from players already inside the building if other teams' moves create unexpected opportunities to address depth needs.
With the quarterback room set and several depth battles unresolved, the Steelers enter the final hours of roster trimming facing a familiar but sharpened challenge: packing maximum positional value into 53 spots while preserving future options at quarterback.
